#IReadsYou Review: YONA OF THE DAWN Volume 20

YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 20
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9220-6; paperback (October 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yona of the Dawn is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuho Kusanagi.  It has been serialized in Hakusensha's shojo manga magazine, Hana to Yume, since August 2009.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series since August 2016 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

Yona of the Dawn focuses on the only princess in the Kingdom of Kohka, Yona.  She lives an ideal life, and her father, King Il, dotes on her.  Her faithful guard, Son Hak of the Wind Tribe, protects her.  Yona even cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, her cousin, Lord Su-won of the Sky Tribe.  However, everything changes for Princess Yona on her 16th birthday when the king is killed, and Hak is blamed.  Soon, Yona is on the run with Hak, but she is determined to reclaim her throne.  To do so, she begins a journey to find the Four Dragon Warriors.

As Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 20 (Chapter 112 to 117) opens, Yona and Princess Riri of the Water Tribe have been betrayed!  Now, they are prisoners of the nation of Sei, working as slave labor on one of two forts being built along Sei's border with Kohka.  Yona and Riri's respective companions split into two groups, with each group heading to one of the forts.  Which team will find the two:  Team Jaeha with Zeno and Ayura or Team Hak with Yun, Gija, and Sinha find Yona and Riri?

Meanwhile, Riri's father, General Jung-Gi, receives some surprising offers of help to find his daughter.  And one of them has ties to Yona!

[This volume includes miscellaneous comics material.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Yona of the Dawn manga is a highly-enjoyable historical shojo romance manga, which is one of my favorite genres of manga.  I also like that it uses elements of Chinese history and mythology.

Yona of the Dawn Graphic Novel Volume 20 is a fantastic entry in this series.  I can say, without spoilers, that it begins with trouble and ends with trouble.  Creator Mizuho Kusanagi always finds a way to keep readers coming back for more.  Kusanagi also delves deeper into the complicated relationships that surround Yona and Son Hak.  Even with all the action and intrigue, Yona of the Dawn always manages to get to the heart of the matter – the character melodrama.

The work of JN Productions (translation) and of Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane (English adaptation) helps to deliver some strong scenes of personal moments – within characters and between characters.  Plus, Lys Blakeslee's lettering sets the mood, as usual, for Vol. 20, which like Vol. 19, is a bit more intimate than other volumes.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of historical romantic adventure will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, Yona of the Dawn.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: FOOD WARS!" Shokugeki No Soma Volume 32

FOOD WARS!: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA, VOL. 32
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Yuto Tsukuda
ART: Shun Saeki
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
CONTRIBUTOR: Yuki Morisaki
LETTERS: James Gaubatz; Mara Coman
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0947-2; paperback (October 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a shonen manga series written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki.  Yuki Morisaki also works as a contributor, providing the recipes for the series.  Food Wars! was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from November 2012 to June 2019.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series from August 2014 to June 2020 under two imprints:  first, “Shonen Jump Advanced” and then, “Shonen Jump.”

Food Wars! focuses on teenager Soma Yukihira.  He grows up cooking in his father's Yukihira Family Restaurant.  The 15-year-old wants to be a better chef than his father, Joshiro Yukihira (Saiba), so he hones his skills day in and day out.  His father decides to enroll him in a classy culinary school, Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate.  If Soma Yukihira really does not want to attend Totsuki, how can he succeed?

As Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma, Vol. 32 (Chapters 272 to 281; entitled “A Subversive Visitor”) opens, the mystery of the “underground shokugeki” continues.  It is apparently connected to a group of underground chefs known as the “cuisiniers noir” that have invaded Japan.  Behind the invasion is a mystery man known as “Asahi Saiba.”

Meanwhile, Totsuki has a new teacher, Mr. Suzuki, a cheeky young chef with his sights set on Erina Nakiri.  Soma finds himself foiled by Suzuki, but he can't worry about that now.  It is time for the first semester final examinations for the second-years, and, of course, failure means expulsion from Totsuki.

[The volume includes recipes and miscellaneous illustrations.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Food Wars! manga jumps right into its next big story arc.  As usual, the fate of our heroes is on the line as the series moves towards its conclusion.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma Graphic Novel Volume 32 finds the creative team of writer Yuto Tsukuda and artist Shun Saeki introducing a new threat to our young heroes and heroines.  After establishing what I call the “NTO,” the new Totsuki order, the creators do not dwell on the characters' new exalted status.  They instead introduce a new adversary, one that is more than a match for the series' favorite characters.

Adrienne Beck's translation serves readers a piping hot dish of intrigue and gamesmanship.  Letterers James Gaubatz and Mara Coman set the tone for a volume that offers conflicts and challenges on several fronts.  Even as it moves towards the end, Food Wars! is as tasty a read as ever.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers hungry for good manga will want the “Shonen Jump” title, Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: HAYATE THE COMBAT BUTLER Volume 34

HAYATE THE COMBAT BUTLER, VOL. 34
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kenjiro Hata
TRANSLATION: John Werry
LETTERS: John Hunt
EDITOR: Shaenon K. Garrity
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0566-5; paperback (September 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Hayate the Combat Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata.  It was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from October 2004 to April 2017.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Sunday” imprint since November 2006.

Hayate the Combat Butler focuses on Hayate Ayasaki.  He begins working to pay off his degenerate parents' gambling debts when he is nine.  Before they disappear, his parents sell their son’s organs to the yakuza to cover their debts.  Hayate is working various part-time jobs to pay off the debts when fate brings Hayate to teenage heiress, Nagi Sanzenin a/k/a “Ojô-sama.”  She is the frequent target of kidnapping plots and of various schemes by people trying to get her money.  Hayate becomes Ojô-sama’s butler, zealously protecting her, while she falls in love with him.

Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 34 finds Nagi declaring that her dedicated maid, Maria Kyobashi a.k.a. Maria-san, is being a nag.  Nagi is determined to find some dirt on Maria-san – something she can use against her, so she sends Hayate to do her dirty work.  But does Maria have a dark side, and can Hayate find it even if she does?

Next, there is a wave of new residents at the old mansion that Hayate and company have turned into a boarding house.  First, learn the story of pop idol, Ruka Suirenji, who wants to be a manga creator.  However, her management agency practically owns her, and they don't want their pop star drawing manga as a new career.  So to escape them, Ruka moves in with Hayate and friends.  That makes Ayumu Nishizawa, who loves Hayate, jealous, as she sees Ruka as a rival.  Now, Ayumu wants to move into the boarding house, but can this financially-strapped high school girl afford $400 a month rent?

The need for more rooms leads Hayate and company to a possible “mystery room.”  What is this mystery room, and why is it protected by a magical barrier?

[This volume includes a bonus manga, four-panel comics, and art.]

THE LOWDOWN:  I have managed to read the Hayate the Combat Butler manga three times this calendar year.  There are usually several months or even a year-long gap in my readings of the series, but I am always happy to return.

Hayate the Combat Butler Graphic Novel Volume 34 is the reason I keep coming back.  Vol. 34 is one of the series' best entries, and it exemplifies creator Kenjiro Hata's deft touch with magical elements.  The “Mystery Room” story arc takes up eight of this volume's 11 chapters.  It brings elements of magic and mystery to the narrative, which are a break from the sameness of recent volumes.  There are also some allusions to a previous story arc in which regular readers may find delight.

As usual, John Werry provides a sparkling translation which captures the freshness of Vol. 34.  Letterer John Hunt's spry fonts capture the fun of magical powers and supernatural characters that abound in this volume.  So, let's get to the next volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for comedy can find laughs in the “Shonen Sunday” manga, Hayate the Combat Butler.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Book Review: EMPIRE OF WILD

EMPIRE OF WILD: A NOVEL
HARPERCOLLINS/William Morrow

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Cherie Dimaline
ISBN: 978-0-06-297594-2; hardcover; 6 in x 8 in; (July 28, 2020)
320pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S.

Empire of Wild: A Novel is the 2020 American edition of the 2019 Canadian contemporary fantasy novel, Empire of Wild, from Canadian author, Cherie Dimaline.  She is best known for her 2017 Young Adult novel, The Marrow Thieves, which won several awards including Canada's “Governor General's Literary Award.”  Empire of Wild blends the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the werewolf-like creature, the Rogarou, with a woman's search for her missing husband.

Empire of Wild introduces Joan Beausoliel, who is part of a Métis family that has lived in their tightly knit rural community of Arcand for generations.  [Largely associated with Canada, the Métis are an indigenous people descended from both North American indigenous people and European settlers.]  In spite of that closeness, few of the young generations keep the old ways . . . until they have to keep them.  That moment to remember the old ways and the old stories has arrived for Joan.

Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor Boucher, for nearly a year.  One terrible night, they had their first serious argument, and Victor stormed out of their home, hours before he mysteriously vanished.  One morning, grieving and severely hungover, Joan is at Walmart when she spots an old-timey, religious revival tent in the store's gritty parking lot.  Something makes Joan enter the tent where she hears a shocking sound coming from deeper inside the tent.  It is the unmistakable voice of Victor.

When she sees the male source of the voice, she discovers that the man who speaks in Victor's voice has the same face, the same eyes, and the same hands, although his hair is much shorter than she remembers Victor's being.  And the man that looks like Victor is wearing a suit, which Victor never did.  When Joan approaches this man, he doesn't seem to recognize Joan at all, and he insists that his name is Reverend Eugene Wolff.  He says that as a reverend, his mission is to spread the word of Jesus and to grow His flock.

Yet Joan suspects there is something dark and terrifying within this charismatic preacher who professes to be a man of God . . . something old and very dangerous.  Joan's mystery is apparently tied to the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the Rogarou, a werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods of native people’s communities.

Joan turns to Ajean, an elderly woman who is one of the few among her community steeped in the traditions of her people and in the knowledgeable about their ancient enemies.  Jointed by her twelve-year-old nephew, Zeus, Joan embarks on a mission to uncover the truth about Eugene Wolff.  Lurking behind the good reverend, however, is another creature of legend.

THE LOWDOWN:  My previous experience with a work of fiction centered on the Métis is Louis Riel (1999-2003), Chester Brown's comic book biography of the real-life Métis political leader, Louis David Riel, which I last read over fifteen years ago.  When William Morrow's marketing team offered Empire of Wild to book reviewers, I jumped at the chance to read it upon discovering that involved the Métis.

In Empire of Wild, author Cherie Dimaline offers a novel that is part dark fantasy, part folklore, part suspense thriller, and part crime novel.  Dimaline emphasizes the humanity of her characters, depicting their all-too human yearnings, desires, longings, selfishness, and propensity for violence.  So, Empire of Wild reads like a contemporary novel that is about a particular group of people, the times in which they live, and their struggles.  The legends and the folklore obviously play a big part in this story, but the fantastic does not dominate the narrative over the characters.  Empire of Wild's magical realism does not explode until the final chapter and the epilogue and delivers an ending that only serves to emphasize how truly unique this novel is.

The supernatural in Empire of Wild is earthy and grounded, so the book draws the readers into a world they can recognize, even if the people are new to them.  The result is a gripping read that won't let go of the readers' imaginations even after the last page.  I'm already hankering for a sequel...

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for exceptional contemporary fantasy fiction from a different folkloric background will want to read Empire of Wild: A Novel.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: HAIKYU!! Volume 34

HAIKYU!!, VOL. 34
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Haruichi Furudate
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0780-8; paperback (September 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Haikyu!! is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate.  This manga was serialized in the manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, from February 2012 to July 2020.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of Haikyu!! as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint since July 2015.

Haikyu!! focuses on Shoyo Hinata.  As a child, Hinata saw the legendary volleyball (haikyu) player known as “the Little Giant” compete at the national volleyball finals.  From that point, Hinata began a quest to be the best volleyball player ever.  In a sport in which tall athletes dominate, however, Hinata's height of 5'4” is considered too short.  Now, he plays for Karasuno Public High School with his rival, Tobio Kageyama.  Hinata does not believe that a player needs to be tall in order to play volleyball, especially when a player can jump higher than anyone else – as he can.

As Haikyu!!, Vol. 34 (Chapters 297 to 305; entitled “Cats' Claw”) opens, the “National Spring Tournament” continues.  Now, the long awaited match-up between Karasuno (representing Miyagi Prefecture) and Nekoma Municipal High School (Tokyo Venue Sponsor representatives), which some call the “Dumpster Battle,” begins.

Nekoma is know for their defense, but they immediately shock Karuso with their aggressive “synchro attacks” on offense.  Meanwhile, Nekoma's master “middle blocker,” Tetsuro Kuroo, plays mind games with Karasuno's master middle blocker, Kei Tsukishima.  Are Karasuno, suddenly favorites in a match for the first time, ripe for an upset?

[This volume includes “Haikyu! vs. Let's Haikyu?! – Special Collaboration Bonus Short” drawn by Retsu.  Let's Haikyu!? is a gag manga based on the Haikyu!!]

THE LOWDOWN:  I had not read the Haikyu!! manga in almost a year and a half.  Now, I have read four volumes in seven months.

Haikyu!! Graphic Novel Volume 34 begins the Karasuno-Nekoma Dumpster Battle.  Creator Haruichi Furudate has been telling readers that this is the match for which the players of both schools have been waiting for quite some time.  Well, the wait was worth it for both players and for Haikyu!!'s readers.  Vol. 34 is one of the better recent volumes.  Furudate is so good at depicting the excitement of volleyball matches, and he excels here, making sure that the Dumpster Battle does not become a narrative “dumpster fire.”

As usual, Adrienne Beck's translation captures the game action and, when necessary, the evolution of the characters.  Letterer Erika Terriquez shines as she continues to create the furious comic book noise of the game.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of sports manga will want the “Shonen Jump” title, Haikyu!!

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douressseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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